BP accuses Halliburton over Gulf of Mexico oil spill

BP has accused oilfield services company Halliburton of destroying key evidence over last year's Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Oil company BP says Halliburton "intentionally" destroyed test results on inadequate cement work on the Macondo well that blew out last year,

The accusation, in a BP court filing, raises the stakes ahead of a trial, expected in late February, to assign blame and damages for the April 2010 blowout of the Macondo well, which triggered the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history.

Citing recent depositions and Halliburton's own documents, BP said Halliburton destroyed the results of slurry testing for the well, in part to "eliminate any risk that this evidence would be used against it at trial."

The oil company also said Halliburton appeared to have lost computer evidence showing how the cement performed, with Halliburton maintaining that the information is simply "gone."

BP asked U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier in New Orleans, who oversees spill litigation, to sanction Halliburton by ruling that Halliburton's slurry design was "unstable," a finding of fact that could be used at trial.

It also asked Barbier to direct that forensic experts be hired to find the missing computer data.

"These remedies are amply warranted in law and by principles of fair play, and they are essential to ensure this court's trial is not tainted by Halliburton's misconduct," BP said in the filing.

Halliburton is the world's second-largest oilfield services provider.

A spokeswoman, Beverly Blohm Stafford, said the Houston-based company is reviewing BP's filing.

"We believe that the conclusion that BP is asking the court to draw is without merit and we look forward to contesting their motion in court," she said.

The Deepwater Horizon drilling rig's explosion on April 20, 2010, caused 11 deaths, and brought tens of billions of dollars of lawsuits.

Halliburton has accused BP of fraud and defamation, among other claims.

BP has also sued Transocean, which owned the rig, and Cameron International, which made a blowout preventer.